


Dancing in the Dark

by nevillesgreenhouse



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: And like, Dancing, Fluff, M/M, No Context, Pre-Slash, Singing, Singing!Barry, Sorry guys, cuteness, i was listening to bunch of love songs and..., i've been writing lots of sad so here some cute, its totally canon (denies the thruth), so its a mirical universe where eddie isn't dead, staring wistfully into eachother's eyes, wait thats not a miracle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 15:33:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7177535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevillesgreenhouse/pseuds/nevillesgreenhouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry needs some time alone, sometimes the pressure is too much and the weight of the world is too heavy. To escape Barry remembers the past, when his mother was alive and his family was happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dancing in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, i've been writing some sad stuff for 'It's too Cold Here' and i needed a bit of niceness. Originally a Barry only fic, that was more like a drabble until my phone shuffle spat out another song. Now its longer and has a pairing. Enjoy!

Sometimes he needs to slow down and breathe. 

To listen to the birds, to talk with Malcolm, the detective who never seems to leave the precinct’s break room, to sit alone in Jitters and be Barry. Just Barry, not the Flash, not the young genius of a forensic scientist, not even a best friend. He needs to be Barry and nothing else.

So it’s not uncommon anymore for him to disappear at some godforsaken time in the middle of the night to do something mundane, human and completely different from any of his other personas because the middle of the night is the only time he can guarantee no one else will need him. So he runs to the highest building in Central City to sit on the roof and stargaze, or he locks himself in the pipeline, turns off the lights and listens to the sound of nothing at all. Sometimes he sings.

There’s no rhyme or reason, theme or thought to the action. He had always loved singing, not performing or showing off, but the tunes and notes have always come easy to him. In fact, some of Barry’s earliest memories are of he and his mother, sitting in their kitchen washing the dishes or doing homework under the warm sunlight and singing along to the radio. His mother seemed to know every song, humming the lyrics or repeating the ones Barry was unfamiliar with until he too, could sing along to almost any song the station played. His father would often arrive home to Nora cooking dinner or dancing with Barry around the kitchen table to smooth jazz or whatever else played.

These are the memories Barry holds onto, not the ones that come after, filled with yellow lightning and police cars. The ones coloured gold by afternoon sun and filled with laughter.

Tonight Barry was sat in S.T.A.R labs, alone. After Iris and Eddie had headed home, offering a ride to Cisco on their way out, and Caitlyn had said her farewells, packing up her chemicals and first aid kit before she too left, Barry stayed. He sat still for so long that the hallway and surrounding lights had fallen into standby mode before he began to sing, the song a favourite of his mother’s and the one he remembers clearest from those happy memories of his childhood.

Wise men say, only fools rush in,  
But i can’t help falling in love with you

The words were on his tongue, falling from his lips in a hushed tone almost without thought or permission was granted by his consciousness. As he sung his hands find something to occupy their time and he wanders back and forth across the room at varying speeds without disturbing his tune, tidying the lab. Piling some of Cisco’s files the way he liked them, returning some of Caitlin’s phials to a cupboard, throwing away the empty takeaway coffee cups and washing the ceramic mugs.

As the song builds he finds himself swaying slightly to the tune in his head. Stepping to the beat before moving to the next task, tapping his fingers against the desk as he passed it. Soon he was dancing in full and a small smile graced his lips. And he feels a simple joy, the one he finds each and every time he takes this break, this pause in his life.

When his song finishes Barry pauses, still smiling he reflects on his day and absentmindedly begins again to sing, this time to another song. This one he had heard at Jitters a few days before. Not quite an earworm but nice enough that he had remembered the lyrics well enough.

Oh, oh, when I was younger, oh, oh, should have known better  
And I can't feel no remorse, and you don't feel nothing at all

He feels the presence behind him before he notices the figure, shadowed in the doorway. The smile on his lips dims somewhat as he turns to see Leonard Snart resting against the doorframe but the man’s own upturned lips give him pause. Continuing the song Barry notices a contented sigh pass through the other man’s lips and feel his smile grow. His voice remains quiet as he turns back to his task of packing away a half eaten packet of redvines on Cisco’s desk. Content to let this moment of shared contentment last.

Oh oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl like a drug  
Oh oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love

At the last line he stills. Lips still quirked and stands straight. He doesn’t turn around, not yet, just allows the lab to fall hushed until he can make out the soft breaths of the other man. He sighs and finally turns to meet the eyes of his apparent nemesis. Blue meets green and all Barry can see is a softness he had never encountered from Snart. He takes a hesitant step forward, absentmindedly thinking that this would be the movie perfect moment for a duet, before he stops just before Snart. The softness remains in the man’s eyes, his lips are still smiling softly and his hand is warm. Barry registers that last bit when the other man reaches for his hand.

Unsure of how to continue he allows Snart to lead, pulling Barry close and wrapping an arm around the taller man’s waist while interlacing their fingers. Barry reaches his free arm to Snart’s neck.

“Len.” the other man whispers. Barry cocks his head to the side and Len’s smile grows, “I can practically hear the cogs in your head moving Scarlett, and i think i’d prefer for you to call me Len, even if it’s only in your mind. There’s no snark or sarcasm to his words, just kindness and amusement.

“Barry” follows to reply with a matching smile. 

The two stay like that for a moment, still and close before Len opens his mouth again, his rich voice carrying across the room.

Hold me close and hold me fast,  
This magic spell you cast,  
This is La Vie on Rose

And they begin to sway to Len’s voice, dancing across the polished tiles. Nothing fancy or planned, just simple and sweet swaying. As Len finishes they barely even pause before Barry picks up a tune, and sings in return, and has to fight a giggle as Len swoops him into a parody of a dip.

I gave my hand for you to hold,  
I gave my love that you went and sold

Despite the seriousness of the song the two were smiling and laughing, spinning across the room now trying to emulate more professional moves. This reached new heights when Len held both hands around Barry’s waist to hoist him into the air, returning him swiftly to the ground and into a spin that had the taller man dissolving into a fit of laughter which caused him to trip, pulling the older man down to the ground with him. 

Barry and Len’s laughter faded as they looked into each other’s eyes and then leaned forwards, to meet the other in a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Here's a list of the songs used if anyone's curious:  
> 1\. Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley  
> 2\. Ophelia by the Lumineers  
> 3\. La Vie En Rose (English version) by Edith Piaf  
> 4\. Coffins by Misterwives


End file.
